Neurological, nutritional and alcohol consumption factors underlie cognitive and motor deficits in chronic alcoholism.
- Authors
- Fama, Rosemary; Le Berre, Anne-Pascale; Hardcastle, Cheshire; Sassoon, Stephanie A; Pfefferbaum, Adolf; Sullivan, Edith V; Zahr, Natalie M
- Year
- 2019
- Journal
- Addiction biology
- PMID
- 29243370
- DOI
- 10.1111/adb.12584
- PMCID
- PMC6003831
Variations in pattern and extent of cognitive and motor impairment occur in alcoholism (ALC). Causes of such heterogeneity are elusive and inconsistently accounted for by demographic or alcohol consumption differences. We examined neurological and nutritional factors as possible contributors to heterogeneity in impairment. Participants with ALC (n = 96) and a normal comparison group (n = 41) were examined on six cognitive and motor domains. Signs of historically determined subclinical Wernicke's encephalopathy were detected using the Caine et al. criteria, which were based on postmortem examination and chart review of antemortem data of alcoholic cases with postmortem evidence for Wernicke's encephalopathy. Herein, four Caine criteria provided quantification of dietary deficiency, cerebellar dysfunction, low general cognitive functioning and oculomotor abnormalities in 86 of the 96 ALC participants. Subgroups based on Caine criteria yielded a graded effect, where those meeting more criteria exhibited greater impairment than those meeting no to fewer criteria. These results could not be accounted for by history of drug dependence. Multiple regression indicated that compromised performance on ataxia, indicative of cerebellar dysfunction, predicted non-mnemonic and upper motor deficits, whereas low whole blood thiamine level, consistent with limbic circuit dysfunction, predicted mnemonic deficits. This double dissociation indicates biological markers that contribute to heterogeneity in expression of functional impairment in ALC. That non-mnemonic and mnemonic deficits are subserved by the dissociable neural systems of frontocerebellar and limbic circuitry, both commonly disrupted in ALC, suggests neural mechanisms that can differentially affect selective functions, thereby contributing to heterogeneity in pattern and extent of dysfunction in ALC.
Bar graphs depicting age- and education-corrected scores on the cognitive and motor composites for the ALC and NC groups.ANOVAs: Attention/Working Memory (Att/WM) t(132)=2.66, p=.0087; Production (Prod) t(131)=2.67, p=.0085; Immediate Memory (ImmMem) t(131)=3.90, p=.0002; Delayed Memory (DelMem) t(131)=3.54, p=.0006; Visuospatial Construction (Visuosp) t(135)=2.32, p=.02; Upper Limb Motor (UppMot) t(131)=1.89, p=.06.
Bar graphs depicting the alcohol Caine-categorized subgroups in comparison with the ALC group as a whole and the NC group. Att/WM - Attention/Working Memory; Prod – Production; ImmMem – Immediate Memory; DelMem – Delayed Memory; Visuosp –Visuospatial Construction; UppMot – Upper Limb Motor.
Bar graphs depicting the ALC group divided into subgroups based on the dietary deficiency and cerebellar dysfunction criteria. Attention/Working Memory: ALCs meeting only the ataxia criterion scored lower than ALCs meeting neither criterion (t=2.24, p=.028) or ALCs who met only the diet criterion (t=2.48, p=.016). Production: ALCs meeting only the ataxia criterion and ALCs meeting both criteria scored lower than ALCs meeting neither criterion (t=2.19, p=.032; t=2.28, p=.025) and ALCs meeting only the diet criterion (t=2.14, p=.035; t=2.25, p=.027). Immediate Memory: ALCs meeting both criteria scored lower than ALCs meeting neither criterion (t=2.75, p=.007) and ALCs meeting only the diet criterion (t=2.29, p=.025). Delayed Memory: ALCs meeting both criteria were impaired compared with ALCs who met neither criteria (t=2.78, p=.007). Upper Limb Motor: ALCs meeting only the ataxia criterion and ALCs meeting both criteria scored lower than ALCs meeting only the diet criterion (t=2.29, p=.025; t=2.45, p=.017).
Bar graphs showing age-corrected scores for the 4 gait and balance tasks for ALC and NC.
Scatterplots showing the relationship between age-corrected ataxia score (average of the 4 balance and gait measures) and the attention/working memory, production, and upper limb composite scores for ALC.
Scatterplots showing the relationship between thiamine levels and total lifetime alcohol consumption and immediate memory and delayed memory scores for ALC.
Model showing a double dissociation between factors predicting mnemonic and nonmnemonic abilities in ALC. Total lifetime alcohol and thiamine level were each independent and unique predictors of episodic memory in ALC, whereas ataxia predicted nonmnemonic functions.
No entities extracted from this document yet.
No uploaded files.
In this knowledge base
| Title | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|
| Predicting Alcohol-Related Memory Problems in Older Adults: A Machine Learning Study with Multi-Domain Features. | 2023 | 37232664 |
External
| Title | Authors | Journal | Year | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment in Adults Attending Australian Community-Based Substance Use Treatment Services. | Ridley N et al. | — | 2026 | → |
| Neuroanatomical features reveal accelerated brain age in alcohol use disorder | Kamarajan C et al. | — | 2025 | — |
| No relation between Body Mass Index and neurocognitive recovery in abstinent alcohol dependent patients? | Staudt J et al. | — | 2025 | → |
| A Complex Interplay between Nutrition and Alcohol use Disorder: Implications for Breaking the Vicious Cycle. | White B et al. | — | 2024 | → |
| Alcohol Use Disorder and Dementia: A Review. | Zahr NM | — | 2024 | → |
| Compensation patterns and altered functional connectivity in alcohol use disorder with and without Korsakoff's syndrome. | Morand A et al. | — | 2024 | → |
| The effects of previous detoxifications on intelligence, speed, attention, and executive functioning in patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. | Staudt J et al. | — | 2024 | → |
| Anterior cingulate metabolite levels, memory, and inhibitory control in abstinent men and women with alcohol use disorder. | Oot EN et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Cognitive Alterations in Addictive Disorders: A Translational Approach. | Gasparyan A et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Coordination and Cognition in Pure Nutritional Wernicke's Encephalopathy with Cerebellar Degeneration after COVID-19 Infection: A Unique Case Report. | Arts NJM et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Differential Effects of Chronic Ethanol Use on Mouse Neuronal and Astroglial Metabolic Activity. | Bhat UA et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Predicting Alcohol-Related Memory Problems in Older Adults: A Machine Learning Study with Multi-Domain Features. | Kamarajan C et al. | — | 2023 | → |
| Effect of chronic alcohol intake on motor functions on the elderly. | Carvalho JKF et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| Memory impairment in alcohol use disorder is associated with regional frontal brain volumes. | Fama R et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| Neuroimaging and Cognitive Evidence for Combined HIV-Alcohol Effects on the Central Nervous System: A Review. | Britton MK et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| Sex differences in cholinergic circuits and behavioral disruptions following chronic ethanol exposure with and without thiamine deficiency. | Kipp BT et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| The contribution of mamillary body damage to Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff's syndrome. | Arts NJM et al. | — | 2021 | → |
| Brain Structure and Function in Recovery. | Nixon SJ et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Cigarette smoking history is associated with poorer recovery in multiple neurocognitive domains following treatment for an alcohol use disorder. | Durazzo TC et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Cognitive impairment severity in relation to signs of subclinical Wernicke's encephalopathy in HIV and alcoholism comorbidity. | Le Berre AP et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Multi-modal imaging reveals differential brain volumetric, biochemical, and white matter fiber responsivity to repeated intermittent ethanol vapor exposure in male and female rats. | Zahr NM et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Prevalence of Low Plasma Vitamin B1 in the Stroke Population Admitted to Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation. | Ehsanian R et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Reduced alcohol drinking following patterned feeding: Role of palatability and acute contingent availability. | Shah K et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Sobriety and Satiety: Is NAD+ the Answer? | Braidy N et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| The Inferior Colliculus in Alcoholism and Beyond. | Bordia T et al. | — | 2020 | → |
| Brain-behavior relations and effects of aging and common comorbidities in alcohol use disorder: A review. | Sullivan EV et al. | — | 2019 | → |
| Cognitive and Motor Impairment Severity Related to Signs of Subclinical Wernicke's Encephalopathy in HIV Infection. | Le Berre AP et al. | — | 2019 | → |
| Relations between cognitive and motor deficits and regional brain volumes in individuals with alcoholism. | Fama R et al. | — | 2019 | → |
| Role of Thiamin in Health and Disease. | Polegato BF et al. | — | 2019 | → |
| Selective micro-structural integrity impairment of the isthmus subregion of the corpus callosum in alcohol-dependent males. | Wang Y et al. | — | 2019 | → |